Overview

The Film

Papua New Guinea is one of the most remote places on Earth — fragmented by tribes and clans that collectively speak 800 different languages. Rules of the Game follows the 2007 elections in which three candidates are vying to be the next governor of the Eastern Highlands in a system often plagued with political corruption and violence.

This is a Western-style contest in a very non-Western locale; traditionally government positions are awarded based on who you know, not how competent you are. Tribal loyalties and corrupt, misogynist traditions fight with local efforts to hold free and fair elections. The three candidates include the first female candidate, a coffee tycoon, and a white colonist.